Shooting Star
by Omegathyst
Summary: After escaping his birth family and an emotionally abusive lover, Gallus becomes homeless in Griffonstone. Grampa Gruff offers him a new place in Ponyville in exchange for becoming a student at Twilight's new School of Friendship. Gallus discovers new friends, fun hobbies, new romances, and a mother in a pony he never expected. Retelling of Seasons 8-9, and onward. (Young Six)
1. Prologue: Gallus' Dark Past

**Happy Birthday to me!**

* * *

_Gallus didn't remember much about the incident besides the way his paws pounded on the dirt, running from a family that were nothing but a blur in his head now. He remembered the voice of his father telling him to steal from the new baker. Gilda, he believed her name was._

_Gallus refused, and he remembered his father's talon slapping him across the face. He fell face first into the dirt. In the chaos of his "family" screeching at each other, Gallus couldn't remember if his father wanted him to come back, or if he never wanted to see him again. Gallus wasn't concerned about that._

_He remembered a dear childhood friend that lived on her own, a black and white griffon named Sheila. They hadn't spoken to each other in a few weeks, but Gallus was hoping to stay there. As he was flying, he saw Sheila's small hay hut. Gallus dropped from the sky and landed at her doorstep, knocking on the door._

_He felt the silence of Griffonstone lingering over him, the fear of his "family" coming back was starting to take over when the door swung open._

_"Gallus?" Sheila whispered, staring at him with her aquagreen eyes. "What are you doing here?"_

_"My family got into a huge fight, and I can't stay with them." Gallus sighed. "Can I stay here for the night?"_

_"Oh Gally, you can stay here for as long as you need." Sheila hugged Gallus before pulling away. "Come in."_

_Gallus flew inside and closed his friend's door, his heart soaring at the thought of never having to deal with them again. He landed on Sheila's couch, holding one of her pillows and taking deep breaths._

_"Oh, you don't need to hold one of the pillows, silly!" Sheila giggled._

_"S-Sorry, it just helps me when-"_

_Sheila climbed onto the couch, pushing the pillow out of Gallus' grip and onto the floor. Before Gallus could move his arms, Sheila sprawled on the couch and tucked her head into the space between his arms where the pillow used to be. She closed her eyes, listening to the quickened beat of Gallus' heart._

_"Better?" Sheila asked._

_"A little." Gallus replied, looking at the ceiling. "You could've just asked if you wanted to cuddle."_

_"And what fun would there be in that?" Sheila smirked. "The best kind of affections aren't asked for, they just happen. Like this!"_

_Sheila lurched forward and briefly pressed her beak against Gallus' in a fleeting kiss._ _Gallus felt something twist in his belly, a weird feeling of fear mixed with the heat that came with Sheila's body being pressed against his own._

_Did he make the right decision? Of course he did, where else could he go?_

_Gallus gave into his instincts and pressed his beak against Sheila's, allowing his tongue to slip into her beak. Sheila placed both her talons on Gallus and kept his head in place, wiggling her tail in excitement. As the two griffons were having fun, the night slipped away and after they were done, they fell asleep._

_It was the same routine for several weeks: Sheila would go to work, Gallus would leave the house to search for jobs, and the two would return home and have intimate moments together. For Gallus to ask for safety, and receive that and so much more? It was heaven for him._

_One night, as he was resting on the couch, he heard a knock on the door. He flipped his body off the couch, and was about to walk towards the door when Sheila flew out of the kitchen. She beat him to the door, cracking it open._

_Before the other griffon could speak, Sheila pushed herself outside and closed the door. Gallus walked to the door and attempted to push it open. No such luck, the door wouldn't budge._

_"What the hell is going on?" Gallus felt the fear returning, seeping from his heart to his brain and his legs. Why was he trapped here? What was Sheila hiding? Why why why why-_

_Sheila walked back inside and closed the door behind her._

_"Babe, are you okay?!" Sheila wrapped her arms around Gallus._

_"Who was at the door?!" Gallus panicked._

_"It was just the mail-griffon, he brought a package to the wrong address." Sheila reassured him. "It's okay, no griffon is coming to hurt you."_

_That wasn't it, Gallus had no fear towards the unknown griffon on the other side of the door._

_"Why was the door locked?" Gallus asked. "Why couldn't I speak to him myself?"_

_"He was an ex of mine, I didn't want him to bother you." Sheila pulled away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."_

_"It's...it's fine. I trust you." Gallus lied, no longer hyperventilating._

_He stepped closer to Sheila, pressing his beak against her's. He prodded his tongue at her beak, remembering the intimacy that always calmed him down and made him feel safe. __Loved._

_Sheila moved back._

_"Not tonight, babe." Sheila ruffled Gallus' head feathers. "Get some sleep."_

_"Oh, okay." Gallus nodded, assuming his position on the couch. Sheila patted his head, flying away from the couch and into her room. Gallus felt a tiny flash of his anxiety, still thudding away in his chest. But he was fine now. After all, Sheila wasn't always going to be in the mood. It was fine._

_Turns out, this period of "not being in the mood" was more than just a phase. Their routine had changed over time, where Sheila insisted that Gallus didn't need to look for jobs, Gallus would give in and stay home, and Sheila would come back from work. Gallus would stay up till late, receive a cuddle and kiss, and then go to bed, with the anxiety growing like constricting vines in his chest._

_"There's nothing wrong." Gallus told himself, alone on the couch. "Sheila loves me, and I love her. She cares about me, that's all I need right?"_

_It eventually got to a point where Gallus didn't even want to leave Sheila's hut, the thought of it giving him an anxiety attack after another. He would barely eat the food Sheila prepared for him, and he no longer stayed up late. Instead, he went to bed in the early evening or even late afternoon._

_One afternoon, as he was preparing to go to bed after eating only one muffin, he stopped and thought about the escalating anxiety. This had to stop, he couldn't live like this any longer._

_He felt horrible, tears rolling down his face for the fourth time that day. Sheila had been nothing but good to him, so why did he feel this way?_

_Gallus spend the hours he had before Sheila arrived to clean her hut from top to bottom. It was the least he could do for her. Gallus could only hope that she'd be understanding as she's always been._

_He heard the door close as he was dusting her table, and he dropped the duster and looked at her exhausted state._

_"Oof, boss was being a real bitch today." Sheila grunted. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

_"I just wanted to let you know, that I've been thinking about a lot of things." Gallus admitted. "I'm grateful for all that you've done for me, I'll always be. But, I don't think this is working out for me anymore."_

_"What isn't working?"_

_"Living here, with you." Gallus sighed. "I don't feel like I'm in a real relationship with you anymore, and if I stay here with you, I'll never grow as a griffon. I care about you Sheila, and I want to support you as your friend. I just need to spread my wings."_

_Sheila was frozen, her beak gaping open before she spoke._

_"Is this cause I don't put out for you?" Sheila glared. "You really need to fuck me so I can keep you?"_

_"What? No! You don't own me!" Gallus gasped. "And it's not like that! I wanted to love you in every way possible, but you keep pushing me away! I don't want to live like this!"_

_"Live like what? Under a roof where you're fed and taken care of?" Sheila snapped. "And all I ask is for you to love me in return, and you can't even do that?"_

_"Not if it only goes one way! I want to be loved too." Gallus frowned._

_"By who? No one is going to care about you like I do." Sheila said. "We go way back, Gallus. This is just a rough patch, we need each other."_

_"Is that why you didn't want me to get a job? Is that why you sent every visitor away from our home?" Gallus growled. "You wanted me to be dependent on you, didn't you? You never wanted me to grow up and leave!"_

_"Gallus, don't. I love you." Sheila begged, on the verge of tears._

_"Your crying isn't going to work this time!" Gallus snapped. "I'm done being your prisoner, now I need you to move."_

_Gallus walked towards Sheila, who was standing in the way of the door._

_"Sheila, please. You need to move, you can't keep me here." Gallus stated. "I don't want to push you."_

_"Y-You're not leaving, you'll have nothing without me." Sheila dug her talons into the carpet. "You touch me and I'll scream for help."_

_"They'll know that you were trapping me here." Gallus said. "And even if they don't, I'd rather be behind bars then here with you. __Move."_

_"NO!" __Sheila puffed her chest, glaring daggers into Gallus' eyes. "You need me!"_

_"Like hell I do!" Gallus began pushing Sheila with all his strength. __"Let me go!"_

_"That griffon? It wasn't an ex by the way, it was your father. I sent him away."_

_"What?"_

_In that moment that Gallus was distracted, Sheila stepped back in front of Gallus and shoved her entire body mass against him, sending him crashing into the wall and breaking a hole in it. Gallus felt his world spinning when he heard something being dragged across the carpet. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn't let him._

_After several agonizing minutes, Gallus stood up and saw Sheila moving the table in front of the door. He looked at the window, and knew what he had to do._

_He quietly spread his wings from his body and lunged at the window, shattering it into pieces. He ignored the blood rolling down his face, flying away from the hut._

_"NO!" __Sheila screamed. "H-HELP, AN INTRUDER BROKE MY WINDOW!"_

_Gallus groaned, flying as far from the scene as he could. He prayed that this whole thing would blow over, and he could live the life he wanted to. However, he wasn't going to look for another place to stay again. He couldn't afford another Sheila situation happening again._

Months later

After Gallus managed to explain his situation to the authorities the morning after the fight, they let him off with a warning.

"And I won't have to see her again?" Gallus asked.

"Nope, so long as you avoid talking to her. And we'll tell her to do the same. You should be good." the officer said.

Gallus blushed at the memory he had of hugging the officer and flying away. It was the last good memory he had. Now? He was homeless, never keeping a job for long. Either the managers would refuse to employ a homeless creature, or word about his incident with Sheila would reach to them. They'd tell Gallus that they didn't want a "troublemaker" or a "threat to females" as an employee.

Gallus felt like he was running out of luck, barely finding enough to eat each night. The only miracle was that he never saw Sheila again.

He was sleeping in an alleyway far away from her hut when he felt something prod his head.

"Up, you hobo bird!"

"Huh? Grampa Gruff?" Gallus opened his eyes. "Unless you're here to give me food, let me go back to sleep."

"I have something even better, how would you like to move to a room in Ponyville for free?"

Gallus woke up like a bucket of ice water was dumped onto him. He sat up and stared at Grampa Gruff like an owl.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep, I'm looking for a griffon to represent us at Twilight's new School of Friendship." Grandpa Gruff explained. "Become a student, and the free shelter and food in Ponyville is yours."

"Ponies?" Gallus stammered.

"Yeah, maybe you'll get along with them better. You've never been like us griffons." Grampa Gruff shrugged.

_Maybe that's a good thing._

"Okay, I'll go."

"Good, one less bum in this alleyway." Grampa Gruff huffed. "Meet me at the train station tomorrow morning, we'll take the first train out to Ponyville."

Grampa Gruff flew out of the alleyway. As soon as he was out of sight, Gallus wiggled his rump and grinned like a puppy. For the first time in months, he felt life pulsing inside him from the tips of his toes to his cheeks.

Tomorrow, he would be in Ponyville.

**_It felt liberating._**


	2. The Train Station

Gallus had never met a pony in his life, but he had heard of two of them coming to Griffonstone. He even heard that they helped Gilda get her current job. If they preferred that instead of stealing, they must be good creatures.

Gallus could barely sleep through the excitement pulsing through him. Any life that Ponyville would provide him had to be better than this!

When the sun had barely revealed itself over the trees, Gallus got off the cement and took flight. He reached the train station in less than five minutes, grinning and waiting next to the train tracks.

He was early; of course he was early. _If somebody offered you a magical ticket outside of your current living situation, would you take your time to decide?_

Gallus felt the anxiety blend within his excitement, noticing Grampa Gruff's absence for the past five minutes. Perhaps the old bird was just taking his time with his cereal...

Or maybe he fell out of his chair, and broke something. What if he found a better student than Gallus? Some creature friendlier, or less anxious? What if he was stuck here, with _Sheila?_

"No no no no, breathe." Gallus took deep breaths. "She can't manipulate me anymore, I'm going to a much happier place."

"Yep, so ridiculously gay that these creatures shoot cotton candy rainbows out of their asses."

Gallus looked behind him, and saw Grampa Gruff landing on the wooden platform of the train station.

"What...are cotton candy rainbows?" Gallus asked.

"Rainbows made out of cotton candy, duh." Grampa Gruff rolled his eyes. "I guess I'm supposed to give you a brief rundown of what this Friendship baloney is going to be like. Do you know what friendship is?"

"I think so." Gallus thought of Sheila, a prickle of fear poking at him. "But I think what I experienced wasn't real friendship. She was very controlling. That's not real friendship, is it?"

"Hell no." Grampa Gruff replied. "It's the gayest shit I've ever seen, they make friendship bracelets, cookies, and sing under the rainbow. I...I think, I'm mostly recounting Gilda's experience last time she went there. I suppose she didn't like it all that much."

"Oh, why's that?" Gallus asked.

"Something about being harassed by multiple ponies at a party, to the point where she had to leave." Grampa Gruff shrugged. "She seems to be on good terms with some of them now, but she doesn't plan on going back there."

"Not to mention, that pink mare told me about the time a zebra came to Ponyville! Oh goodness, the ponies would bolt into their homes!" Grampa Gruff laughed. "But this Twilight seems determined to change all this, ever since she and her friends saved Canterlot. That's what she told me, anyways."

Gallus barely heard the last thing he said, his mind racing over the fifty possible ways that Ponyville would shun him on sight. What if Twilight was the only one trying to make a change, and all the other ponies wouldn't give a shit?

"Hey, don't look so bug-eyed, alright? Twilight and her friends are the most friendly little poofballs I've ever met in my life." Grampa Gruff rubbed Gallus' head feathers. "Maybe a little _too _friendly, but still. They saved Equestria multiple times and shit."

Before Gallus could ask Grampa Gruff to elaborate, he saw the train arriving. The door opened, allowing a few grumpy griffons to fly out into the baked-heat of Griffonstone. Gallus felt his heart beat at the thought of leaving the heat, the emptiness, and all the griffons behind him. Hopefully for good.

Grampa Gruff and Gallus flew onto the train and sat on seats far away from each other. Gallus' heart sank a little as Grampa Gruff laid down and turned his back to him. He still had so many questions about Twilight and her friends!

_What are her friends like? Were they the ones that harassed Gilda? Ran away from the zebra? How would they react to me?_

It didn't help that Gallus considered himself a good-hearted creature that fell into the trap of a manipulative friend. What if Twilight was exactly like him, trying to do the right thing, but being hindered by those closest to her?

_No, that can't be right. She's saved Equestria alongside them!_

Gallus felt his racing mind slowing down, blinking at the seat below him. Perhaps he should be well-rested for the new life ahead of him.

_Just rest, trust Grampa Gruff and Twilight. Life is going to get better for you now that she's gone. Trust me._

* * *

The nap was great, but as Gallus realized upon waking up, there was no food offered to him on the train ride. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but the growling in his stomach left a sour taste.

"Gruff?"

"What?" Grampa Gruff asked, getting up from his nap.

"Do you know how the food is in Ponyville?"

"Sort of." Grampa Gruff replied. "The pink mare, Pinkie, was the one to teach Gilda how to make some decent food. If Gilda's baked goods are half as good as Ponyville's, then you're in luck. You're going to find out very soon."

"What do you mean?"

"We're here, you goof."

Gallus leapt off his seat and looked at the window above his seat, exposing himself to the bright and pastel colors of Ponyville. He walked out of the train and onto the train station platform, taking in the cool air.

In the distance, he saw two fillies kicking a ball around, squealing and laughing. Gallus felt an oncoming warmth flooding into his chest as he grinned. One filly caught the ball, looking at the griffin.

"Come play with us!" the filly giggled.

Gallus didn't hesitate, jumping off the train station platform and catching the ball that was kicked towards him. He jumped, using his back paw to kick the ball into the space between the two fillies. They both took off after the ball.

"What in the _hay _are you doing with my daughters?!"

It was a white mare with dark green eyes and a mane the color of dark roses, slightly taller than Gallus. Gallus sat on his haunches and gulped as the mare approached him.

"They invited me to play, ma'am." Gallus frowned. "I, uh..."

"They're supposed to play with _colts and fillies,_ not whatever kind of abomination you are! What even **_are_** you?" the mare's face was inches away from Gallus'.

"I think that's enough, Ivory Thorns."

Gallus looked behind him, and saw an elegant lavender pony with a horn _and _wings. She wasn't as tall as Ivory Thorns, but the earth pony shrunk back nonetheless.

"Princess T-Twilight, I don't know what this creature is! I was worried for my foals!" Ivory stammered.

"He's a griffon, so now you know." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "He's a student of mine, so you can trust him."

"But what if I don't want him around my foals?" Ivory protested.

"Cause he's not a pony?"

"Not necessarily, he's got such _sharp_ talons and b-beak..."

"And we have such rough hooves, and powerful magic." Twilight retorted. "There'll be more creatures coming here to attend my school, and I expect you and everypony else to treat them with the utmost respect. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Princess Twilight." Ivory looked at the ground. "Candy! Pebble! Playtime is over, come back here!"

"Yes Mommy!" they shouted in unison, tumbling towards their mother with the ball. Ivory kicked the ball in the direction of their house, and the family of three left.

"Sorry about that, they moved here recently, so they don't know about all the different creatures that come to Ponyville." Twilight grinned. "So _you_ must be the representative of Griffons for my School of Friendship!"

"Yep, that's me." Gallus looked at the train, watching Grampa Gruff slowly walk off the train station platform.

"I'm so excited!" Twilight sat on her haunches, clapping her hooves. "You'll be learning about Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic!"

"Did you say there were other creatures?" Gallus asked.

"Yup!" Twilight chirped. "Yaks, hippogriffs, changelings, dragons, and _lots_ of ponies! It'll be sure to change your perspective!"

"See what I told ya, these ponies are gay." Grampa Gruff laughed, roughly placing a claw on Gallus' shoulder.

"I think you mean ta say happy, using gay in that context is a little old-fashioned, don't ya think?"

Gallus looked over Twilight's shoulder, spotting the speaker as an orange earth pony with a brown stetson hat.

"Ah yes, the biggest lesbian of them all. How's shagging your unicorn friend going?" Grampa Gruff mocked the orange mare.

"We talked about this, Grampa Gruff. None of your rude remarks will be tolerated around me, my friends,_ or _my school." Twilight stomped her hoof.

"Fine, geez!" Grampa Gruff snapped. "I'll keep my mouth shut."

Gay? Lesbian? No one ever told Gallus what that even meant, he felt like he might've heard his birth father sneer the latter at a pair of griffons once. Gallus wanted to ask, but he felt embarrassed to do so in front of all these ponies.

"What's wrong, Gallus?" Twilight asked.

"Um, it's nothing. Just Grampa Gruff being an asshole, that's all." Gallus lied. Grampa Gruff glared at Gallus before looking away.

"My name's Applejack." the orange mare approached Gallus, sticking her hoof out. "Element of Honesty, dear friend of Twilight Sparkle here, nice to meet ya."

_What is shagging, and how does Grampa Gruff know that Applejack is doing it with her unicorn friend?_

"Oh, u-uh, nice to meet you too!" Gallus grabbed Applejack's hoof and shook it briefly. "Where are the other Elements?"

"Back at the School of Friendship, talking to the other creatures and their guardians. You're the last to arrive, new bird." Applejack grinned.

"Come with us, we're about to open the doors of the School of Friendship!" Twilight beamed. "Everypony, I mean, creature, is waiting!"

Gallus felt his heart pounding as he followed the two mares galloping towards the beautiful purple building surrounded by water from the waterfalls. Surrounding the door was dozens of ponies mixed in with several other creatures. Gallus' new life was within reach, awaiting adventures and discoveries that even the blue griffon could not fully comprehend.

**_It was about to begin._**


	3. Destined Connections

The doors opened, and Gallus flew to the corner of the main room, standing behind one of the pillars. The amount of ponies in one room felt..._intense._

Twilight made her confident stride to the center of the room, where she introduced herself as Headmare. She instructed the students to see the guidance counselor to sign in and receive their class schedules.

Gallus looked at the pink unicorn, and noticed the welcoming demeanor she held from the softness in her eyes, her smile, and the gentle wave of her hoof.

**_Bonk!_**

Gallus nearly fell as he felt some creature bump into him. He caught his footing just as he heard the creature talking to him.

"Whoa, sorry. I'm Sandbar, are you a student here too?"

Gallus turned to face the light green pony, with many different shades of green from the lightness in his eyes to the dark multiple shades of his mane. He looked like a beautiful garden in the form of a pony.

It was when he was taking in these details that he realized that he hadn't spoken a word. He was staring agape at the first pony student he met.

_Shit, say something you dumb fuck!_

"No, I thought I'd just _randomly_ stand here and see how many ponies would _walk_ into me." Gallus huffed, blowing his head feathers into place.

Sandbar simply looked at him, his smile not fading in the slightest at Gallus' weird introduction. The silence, among the undeterred look that Sandbar gave him, was causing Gallus to blush. He opened his mouth to spea-

**_"Gallus!"_**

There goes the smile, Sandbar frowned at the loud voice calling the griffon's name. Not waiting for a response, Gallus walked past him and towards Grandpa Gruff.

"Grandpa Gruff, what're you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Came all the way from Griffonstone to introduce..._Gallus."_ Grandpa Gruff said with a dramatic wave of his claw.

As he was speaking, Gallus recognized the blue rainbow-maned pegasus in front of him.

"Rainbow Dash?" Gallus asked. "You're a teacher? Huh, Gilda told me about you, thought you'd be _cooler."_

"What the buck?" Rainbow Dash growled. "What kind of smart-mouthed griffon did you bring to our school, Grandpa Gruff?"

"Hehe." Grandpa Gruff snickered. "He's your problem now, pony."

Gallus smirked, reveling in their conversation. The griffons back at Griffonstone were used to his sarcastic comments, but ponies? They were innocent little poofballs, according to Grandpa Gruff. Messing with them could be a lot of fun.

Rainbow Dash gave Gallus a cross look before flying past him.

"Well, I best be taking my leave. I'll be back for the Friends and Family mumbo jumbo that Twilight told me about to see your progress." Grandpa Gruff patted Gallus' shoulder. "See ya."

"Um, thanks by the way." Gallus said, looking away. "For everything."

"Don't mention it, kid." Grandpa Gruff said. He flew out the door, leaving Gallus by himself.

There were so many things going on at once: a big brown creature was stumbling into the pillars of the building, losing her footing, a skinny pony-like bug was running away from...another griffon? No, she had hooves at the ends of her legs instead of paws. Wha?

The pony-like bug that Gallus was unfamiliar with abruptly turned into another pony, hiding in the crowds. The griffon-like creature stopped and looked around the room, eventually landing her gaze on Gallus.

**_"Whoa!"_** she shouted. _"Are you another hippogriff?!"_

_Great griffons above, _she was the shrillest creature Gallus had ever heard! Definitely not a griffon.

"Uh, no." Gallus muttered. "Griffon, I got paws instead of hooves. See?"

He sat on his haunches and extended his paws out for the hippogriff to see. She flew right above his legs and felt his paws with her talons.

Her face being inches away from his face and..._other body parts,_ made heat spread throughout his body. Does this girl not know boundaries? She reminded him of...

_Don't think about her right now. Today's your chance to start over._

"I'm Gallus, by the way." Gallus broke the silence.

_"Silverstream!"_ the hippogriff held out her other talon, shaking Gallus'. "Thanks for letting me feel your paws."

_Hopefully that's the only thing you feel from me._

"N-No problem." Gallus got up. "I'm gonna go check in registration now."

"Oh my goodness, I almost forgot about that! Where is it again?" Silverstream asked. "Nevermind that, I'll just follow you!"

"Cool." Gallus said, looking at the pink unicorn again. The line in front of her was a long one, so long that Gallus considered meeting other creatures while the line dwindled.

"I, um, will probably wait actually." Gallus decided. "Long lines are boring."

_"Aren't they?!" _Silverstream agreed. "Life is too short for boring lines, let's go meet more students! Is...IS THAT A YAK?!"

Before Gallus could respond, Silverstream flew towards the big brown creature Gallus saw earlier. Which was a yak, Gallus realized.

Twilight resumed talking again, reminding students of the Friends and Family Day coming up. Gallus frowned. The ponies probably had family to invite, but what about him?

A scrawny yellow mare with a dark blue mane bumped into Gallus. Gallus turned around, recognizing her as the pony-like bug from earlier.

"Hey you!" Gallus leaned closer. "How do you transform like that?"

"I, um. I'm a ch-changeling." the mare stammered, reverting back to her original form. "My name is Ocellus."

"Gallus." the griffon replied.

"Hey! I just realized, I didn't catch your name earlier."

Sandbar approached the griffon and changeling, looking at the former with his signature calm smile.

"Gallus." he felt the heat returning to his face, again.

"Ocellus." the changeling managed a smile.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sandbar." Sandbar grinned.

"Yona can't wait to make pony school better!" the yak shouted, tumbling into the conversation. She nearly knocked Sandbar over, grinning at Gallus and Ocellus.

"Hey, at least you're in your original form now."

A tall, orange, and scaly creature approached Ocellus, smirking at her.

"I didn't get to introduce myself to you, I'm Smolder." the creature grinned. "Dragons can really be intimidating, I don't blame ya for running off."

"I'm uh, Gallus." Gallus stated, noticing the predatory stare Smolder was giving Ocellus.

The intensifying look disappeared entirely as Smolder looked at the griffon, puzzled.

"Oh, hey." Smolder gave a slow wave of her claw, looking at the other creatures that were apparently staring at her.

"A little intimidating, isn't it?" Ocellus mocked her, giggling.

"Oh shut up." Smolder huffed, walking towards registration.

Gallus found it to be a weird way to meet all the other non-ponies of the School of Friendship, but at least he was on the road to making new friends. And if these friendships stayed strong, perhaps he'll stay here in Ponyville where he felt welcomed.

* * *

"This school sucks ass!"

"Hey now, these heroic mares worked hard to make this school happen." Sandbar defended their teachers to Gallus.

The griffon and his pony friend were walking down the hallway leading to their dorm rooms, weeks after they had all met each other.

"Maybe, but Twilight's ruining it with her dumb book!" Gallus hissed. "Pinkie was about to put me in a canon and blast me out the window!"

"And then what? What if you sprained a wing, or broke a leg?" Sandbar stopped, glaring at Gallus.

"Why do you care?!" Gallus squawked. "Let it happen to me then!"

"I...I need to go." Sandbar sighed, turning his back to Gallus and towards his room.

Gallus exhaled sharply through the nostrils in his beak. Doesn't that dumb fuck know that he could just fly as soon as he was blasted out the window?

_It's Twilight's fault that I wanna launch myself out a window to begin with! How am I supposed to pass all my classes and keep my sanity? It's endless textbook pages and pop quizzes! If I fail, I might be sent back to..._**_oh no._**

No, Grandpa Gruff** _wouldn't._ **That old hag knew exactly how bad things were for him, and he wouldn't want to bring a homeless griffon back to Griffonstone anyway! Right?

Gallus needed to ensure that his citizenship in Ponyville was safe and secure, no matter what happened. He couldn't go to that alicorn he once trusted, the book and her obsession with it was derailing everything.

Sandbar wasn't the only one frustrated with him, they were all complaining and having spats with one another. This wasn't the place he thought it was.

But then he remembered the kind guidance counselor at registration. She was usually packed with erupting students most of the day, but it was about half an hour before she'd leave to go home. He had to see if he could secure his safety.

Gallus flew the other direction, into the hallways until he saw the door of the unicorn's office, slightly cracked open. There was no line. Gallus breathed in, ebbing some of his anxiety into the air.

He knocked on the door.


	4. Glimmer of Hope

"Come in!" the voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Gallus pushed the door open and slowly stepped inside, watching the pink unicorn put away different documents in the drawers beneath her desk. On the left and right of the counselor was a shelf filled with stacks of papers. Complaints, registration documents, legal fees...Gallus assumed that the papers could be a bunch of things.

"Hey, is now a bad time?" Gallus asked, internally kicking himself for the dumb question.

"No, not at all," the unicorn grinned. "Could you put the closed sign on the doorknob outside though? You'll be my last student for the day."

_I came just in time._

Gallus flew outside the door, gently placing the sign on the doorknob, before going back into the guidance counselor's office.

"I don't think I ever got your name," Gallus admitted, landing on the seat in front of her desk and gently tucking his wings in.

"It's Starlight Glimmer," the unicorn extended her hoof. "And your name is Gallus, right?"

"Right, surprised you remembered that with all the other students' names," Gallus admitted.

"Well, you're the only griffon student, so it was easy to remember," Starlight smiled. "What can I help you with?"

"I…" his vision wobbled as he stared at his talons sinking into the chair's cushion. "This school wasn't what I thought it was."

"_Hmm_." Starlight responded. "So I've been told."

"And for these ponies, and most of the other creatures there, it's not much of a loss," Gallus admitted. "The other non-ponies can go back where they came from, and it'll just be a blimp in their past."

"What are you getting at?" Starlight asked.

"I can't go back to where I came from," Gallus confessed. "Grandpa Gruff picked me off the streets cause my father hit me, and I stayed with this _former_ friend of mine. And s-she t-t-took advantage-"

_"Hey,_ it's okay," Starlight's voice softened as she nudged the box of tissues in his direction. "Well, not what happened to you, but everything is confidential here. It'll stay between you and me."

"Should it though?" Gallus blurted out. "Cause what if this school gets shut down, or I fail? Every creature, including me, would be sent back to where they came from right?"

"The school isn't going to be shut down, not when Twilight is following the rules at every step," Starlight shrugged. "And it's friendship! If your heart's in it, you're not going to fail at the School of Friendship."

"Then why the textbooks?" Gallus asked. "Isn't friendship a lot more personal? Why aren't we doing group activities inside or outside the school?"

Starlight opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out.

"F-Forget it, I'm just saying that my family isn't here for me like I wish they'd be," Gallus sighed. "I need a failproof plan to fall back on if this all goes to shit, that's all I'm saying. I can't go back to Griffonstone."

"Y'know, I've heard this kind of thing has happened before," Starlight admitted. "Recently, actually. Cranky and Matilda Donkey adopted a male kirin a few months ago. At the Kirin Grove, the females outnumber the males from nine to one. So when this kirin was growing up, the kirin ladies around him were a bit...forceful."

"Did they hurt him?" Gallus asked.

"In a way," Starlight elaborated. "They wouldn't hit him or scratch him, but they'd flirt with him all the time. They would brush up against him during their heat cycles, but he told his mother that he didn't _feel_ anything."

"His mother wouldn't have any of it, and she set him up to be married to three different kirin. Cause the male kirin have harems to even out the numbers," Starlight explained. "Autumn Blaze was shocked, and took him to Ponyville on a train. On the train ride, he told Autumn that he was gay."

"This is really embarrassing, but no one's ever told me what that word meant," Gallus frowned.

"Gay? It's like when a guy wants to love another guy in a sexual sense, similar to how guys like girls," Starlight replied. "Same with a girl loving another girl, although they usually use the term 'lesbian' for that. It may not be like this in other lands, but the vast majority of ponies in Equestria aren't straight. There's a whole spectrum out here, a rainbow of some sorts."

"Here," Starlight walked behind the shelf on her left and levitated a thick rainbow-colored book. "Most creatures only recognize those two terms, but there's dozens of different terms identified over the years. Some ponies, such as myself, choose not to meddle with the complicated labels used for the sexual spectrum."

"Why's that?" Gallus asked.

"I think labels for sexuality are silly," Starlight shrugged. "I love my marefriend, and that's it. There doesn't need to be a label for how I feel."

Gallus barely heard her, taking in the lengthy paragraphs about one of the most popular potions in Equestria: the** Futa Potion**. With its contents, it can give a pony both the parts of a mare and a stallion. Then there was another paragraph about magically combining the eggs of two mares, and placing the embryo inside one of the two mares.

"How do two guys have a kid?" Gallus asked. "Does the stallion keep using the potion until they give birth or something?"

"I think so, there's a different subtype of Futa Potion for that," Starlight answered.

"How is this kirin doing now? Is he okay?" Gallus asked, lifting his head from the book.

"Oh! Yes, he's adjusting quite well with the Donkeys," Starlight smiled. "Autumn wouldn't have realized that the kirins' behavior was abnormal had it not been for Applejack and Fluttershy. They taught her that while their traditions are valuable, consent is even more so."

Even though Gallus didn't understand what the word _consent_ quite meant, a more pressing question was in the back of his mind.

"So what you're saying is, I have to be 'adopted' by Ponyville citizens to stay here?" Gallus asked. "What does that word even mean?"

"It means when creatures officially take you in as part of their family," Starlight said. "This kirin is the son of Cranky and Matilda cause they made it so."

Gallus felt bubbles of happiness from his head down to the tips of his toes. Any creature could be family! It didn't have to be the family from back in Griffonstone, but…

"How do I find somepony to adopt me?" Gallus asked.

"Um…" Starlight frowned, puzzled. "Well, you don't need to worry about that at the moment. You have a dorm room here, where nopony will take it away from you."

_She doesn't know that._

"Thanks for telling me," Gallus managed to smile. "Just, if anything happens to the School or m-my grades, you know where to find me."

_"Gallus," _Starlight put the griffon's talon in her hooves. "Twilight won't let you go back to a place that'll hurt you. If anything dire happens, I'll tell her. Okay?"

"Okay," Gallus sighed a breath of relief. Twilight was not a pony he was fond of at the moment, but he wasn't planning on being picky. "I guess I'll turn in for the night then. Thank you, Starlight."

"No problem, come here if you need anything. No matter what it is," Starlight got up from her desk and hugged Gallus. "Okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Gallus returned the hug briefly, before flying out the door.

Starlight stepped behind her desk, gently levitating a picture from the shelf on her right. It was a picture of Cranky and Matilda, with their dark brown kirin son.

_"Adoption…" _Starlight whispered curiously to herself.


	5. Friends and Family Day

It was Friends and Family Day. Not the best timing for an argument.

Smolder and Yona got into a heated argument about yaks being 'best at everything,' and Gallus certainly wasn't helping. He took the heat of the moment to turn to Sandbar.

"This could've all been prevented if it weren't for you namby-pamby ponies!" Gallus snapped. "A _fucking_ set of textbooks isn't going to solve everything!"

"Don't look at me!" Sandbar flinched. "I didn't invent these textbooks! Maybe the school isn't the problem, maybe it's you and Smolder terrorizing everyone with your sharp attitude!"

"What the hell did you just say?!" Smolder turned around, slapping Yona with her tail. "I, FUCK!"

"Yona is best at biting tails," Yona smirked, still holding the dragon's tail with her teeth. "Think twice before you insult yaks."

"Hey! What's goin' on here?"

"Shit." Yona spat out Smolder's tail, hearing Applejack's hoofsteps behind her. "I was just lifting my friend's tail to keep it off the ground. Keep it from collecting dirt."

"Like hell you were!" Smolder growled. "This dumb cow-whore bit my tail!"

"You dragons may love your vulgar swears, but we don't," Applejack scowled. "Come to my office, _now. _Both you _and _Yona."

Smolder kept hissing profanities when Ocellus whispered something to her. Smolder stopped talking, took a deep breath, and nudged Ocellus away.

"Fine." Smolder sighed. "Let's go."

"What are you guys still doing here?" Rainbow Dash flew over Gallus and Sandbar. "Go to your classes!"

"Thank Celestia your loud mouth didn't get us in trouble." Sandbar sighed as soon as their teachers left. "I'm sorry this school isn't what you want it to be. But I'm trying to make the best of it, that's all I can do."

"Can't you drop out?" Gallus asked.

"Can't you?" Sandbar retorted. "I know Griffonstone isn't the friendliest of places, but you don't have to be here if you don't want to. Right?"

"I…" Gallus opened his mouth, struggling to find the words. "There's_ really_ bad griffons there. I won't go back there if I can help it."

"Bad? How bad?" Sandbar said softly, looking at Gallus. "Wha...what did they do to you?"

"It's a shit-hole, that's all you need to know," Gallus frowned. "And Grandpa Gruff is visiting today, so nopony can tell him about the dropping grades."

"You told me you had a B minus in most of your classes," Sandbar smiled. "That's not too bad."

"I also have a D minus in Kindness class; no surprise there," Gallus huffed. "I'm a piece of shit anyway."

"Whoa, hold up." Sandbar stopped walking, standing in Gallus' way. "Don't you ever call yourself that."

"What? A piece of shit?" Gallus scoffed. "What does it matter if I'm calling myself that? I'm not insulting anybody else."

"Then why would you say that about yourself?" Sandbar frowned. "It's hurtful to you, and I'm not okay with anybody hurting my friends. Not even yourself."

"I'm your friend?" Gallus pointed at himself. "But I thought you couldn't stand me."

"I can't stand how we've been talking to each other," Sandbar admitted. "But this is new terrain for all of us, especially you. Of course I'm your friend, you can't scare me off that easily."

Sandbar walked up to him and gently placed his hoof on Gallus' shoulder.

"Heh, you've never let me feel your feathers before," Sandbar smirked his signature smile. "They're soft."

"Thank you?" Gallus whispered. "We should probably g-get to class."

"Oh, _now_ you want to go to class," Sandbar pulled away, rolling his eyes. "That's funny."

Gallus felt his body heat up, and his wings tense, as Sandbar's smile never wavered. The green pony turned his back to Gallus and walked to class like a model would walk down a catwalk. _Rarity would be proud, _Gallus noted.

It was Pinkie's Laughter class that they went to. But the only funny thing about it was the lack of laughter in the classroom. Halfway into class period, Smolder and Yona returned, taking their seats.

"Yona hate making up class assignments." the yak grumbled.

"Fuck class, I'm ditching for the day," Smolder hissed in Gallus' ear. "Wanna come?"

"I guess?" Gallus whispered back, before turning to Pinkie. "Hey Pinkie Pie, can we take a break? Just to catch some air outside?"

"Oh, sure!" Pinkie smiled, using her mouth to move the chalk on the blackboard. "Don't take too long!"

Smolder and Gallus got up, only to have Yona, Ocellus, Silverstream, and Sandbar discreetly follow them.

"Are we leaving? What about Friends and Family Day?" Sandbar asked as soon as they walked out.

"Don't worry," Smolder smirked. "We can come back for that."

* * *

"Hey Miss Pinkie? I think six of your students left…"

"Oh, I…" Pinkie turned around, only to see six empty desks. _"Shit on a cake, I better tell Twilight."_

* * *

"I'm sorry I called you a dumb cow-whore." Smolder apologized, as the six friends were hanging out at the lake.

"I'm sorry I bit your tail," Yona sighed. "Yona is just scared that she won't live up to pony expectations, she thought she was best at _everything."_

"Hey, don't cry." Ocellus transformed into a yak, leaning against a shaking Yona. "No creature is best at everything, that's not realistic."

"Transform into a monkey." Yona sniffled, smiling through her tears.

"Okay." Ocellus smiled, transforming into a skinny brown-furred primate. She wiggled her long limbs, making loud noises.

"That still gets me," Gallus laughed, sitting between Sandbar and Silverstream. "I'm sorry I've been having a stick up my ass, you guys. This school is a little more than I expected."

"I get it." Smolder agreed. "When Ember told me that I'd be sent here, I thought I was just going to snuggle ponies under the rainbow with color books and marshmallows. Gay shit like that."

"You wanna fuck another girl?" Gallus tilted his head, confused.

"W-Wha?! No!" Smolder blushed, looking away. "I meant gay as in happy!"

"There's another definition for gay?" Gallus whispered in Sandbar's ear.

"Yeah, but ponies don't usually use the old definition anymore," Sandbar replied. "Happy being the old use for the word."

"Well, you can _still_ snuggle with a pony perhaps," Ocellus smirked, transforming into a random light blue mare. "Nevermind the gay part."

"Yeah, right. Totally not gay." Smolder smiled as Ocellus rested her head on Smolder's lap, enjoying the moment.

As Gallus was relaxed, staring at his gentle reflection in the lake, he felt two heads resting on his shoulder. Sandbar rested his head on his right shoulder, and Silverstream rested her head on his left. Gallus smiled, basking in what may be the last time they spend a wonderful moment like this.

"Hey Ocellus?" Smolder asked, running her claws through Ocellus' pastel blue mane. "What's the biggest creature you can transform into?"

"Uh...a bugbear maybe?" Ocellus suggested.

"Hell yeah," Smolder smirked. "Show us, ba...I mean Ocellus."

Ocellus winked at her dragon friend, shapeshifting into a bugbear moments later. Gallus gasped, moving his occupied shoulder in the process.

"That's amazing!" Silverstream hugged Gallus in her excitement, pushing Sandbar off him in the process. Sandbar barely noticed, staring at the huge bugbear in awe.

"You were right Ocellus, yaks _aren't _best at everything..." Yona admitted. "But changelings are best at transforming!"

"Thank you," Ocellus blushed through her white bear fur. "But I don't want ponies to see me like this, we should head back to class."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to get in more trouble than we already have." Smolder admitted, watching Ocellus turn back into her changeling form.

* * *

"Twilight, why is there a disgusting yak, a dragon bitch, a radioactive changeling, a grape-looking hippogriff, and a balding griffon?" Neighsay asked, staring at the representatives of their respective Kingdoms standing outside the castle.

"Oh, that's because they brought students here!" Twilight smiled. "They're also here for Friends and Family Day. There they are!"

Twilight smiled as her special students arrived, late nonetheless. Gallus smiled back, flying ahead of the rest of his friends.

"It's great to meet you, Mr. Neighsay," Gallus greeted the unicorn. "I'm honored to be a student at Twilight's School of Friendship."

"You're a student?!" Neighsay gawked. "Twilight, you said you were opening this school to protect Equestria! To defend ponies from... _dangerous creatures _who don't have our best interests at heart!"

"Dangerous?!" Thorax gasped. Ember snarled, and Grandpa Gruff scowled.

"What the buck are you talking about? This is a school to learn about _friendship!" _Twilight scoffed.

"And how do you know these creatures won't take what they have learned here and use it against us?" Neighsay asked.

"You ponies haven't changed at all!" Grandpa Gruff snapped. "Your town is still a bunch of _racist jerks!_ C'mon Gallus! I'm not letting you spend a second longer with these** bigots."**

_Nonononononononononono. **No!**_

"Don't worry, we can get you guys a night in one of the hotels. So the five of you can say goodbye to each other," Thorax sympathized. "But we're clearly not welcome here."

"I'll come with, unless you guys probably don't want me around," Sandbar's ears drooped. "According to Gruff, I'm just a bigot like all the other ponies."

_"Sandbar,"_ Gallus lifted his pony friend's chin with his talon, looking him in the eyes. "Don't you ever call yourself that."

Sandbar's eyes lit up, and despite the heavy situation unfolding around them, he smiled.


	6. Starlight's House

"Okay, we need to find somewhere to hide before the night is over," Gallus announced, staring at the lamp in their shared hotel room of two king-sized beds.

After Thorax mentioned the hotel room, Neighsay turned around and placed a magical lock on the school, shutting it down. After Twilight had ran into her castle in a tearful sprint, the guardians took the next train to their respective lands where the students would have to return. It was exactly what Gallus had feared.

"Yona agree, don't want to leave new friends," Yona lamented, sprawled on the creaking bed. As soon as she lowered her head onto the bed, the middle of the bed made a sharp _snap, _causing Yona to frown and look away from her friends.

"Yeah, the dragonlands are no fun," Smolder mumbled, glancing at Ocellus on the other bed. "But where can we possibly go? All five of them will turn over _boulders _just to find us!"

"Maybe if we hide in a place they expect," Gallus stated.

"What are you suggesting?" Sandbar asked.

"If we were to..._hide_ in a pony's home, they wouldn't find us there," Gallus smiled, a lightbulb popping over his head. "More specifically, a pony's room."

"Why their room?" Smolder asked. "I don't think we'd all fit."

"Well, I don't know if this will work," Gallus frowned. "But I talked to Starlight Glimmer before today, and she said that she'd tell Twilight about the situation we're in. _If_ it were to happen, of course."

"You _expected_ this shit-storm to happen?" Smolder gawked. "Then why not tell us?"

"I can't say I expected it," Gallus looked away. "I just didn't want to go back to Griffonstone, so I prepared myself for the worst-case scenario."

"Well, I sure as hell didn't want to go back to Ember's whiny ass," Smolder pouted, tapping her foot. "But I wasn't going to put up a fight about it. What's so bad about Griffonstone that you had to tell the guidance counselor in advance?"

"Is that really what matters right now?" Sandbar stepped in between his friends. "Gallus has an idea, and you keep interrupting him."

Smolder opened her mouth, and after a second, closed it and glared at Sandbar. Gallus blinked at Sandbar briefly, exposing a hint of a smile before looking at Smolder again.

"I think we should go to Twilight's castle," Gallus stated.

"That's the shittiest idea I've ever heard," Smolder snorted. "We'll be caught within seconds."

"Not really," Sandbar stated. "If Gallus is right, she'll be expecting us when we get there. And last time I checked, Starlight _lives_ in her castle. Even if Starlight didn't tell her, we can hide in her room."

"But then Twilight will know where we are," Ocellus whimpered. "What if she turns on us?"

"She's the Princess of Friendship," Gallus huffed. "She won't t-turn on us."

_Why should I trust her now?_

"Maybe we shouldn't walk to the castle in the open," Smolder suggested. "How about we sneak our way to the door, and _you_ knock on the door? Since you're so confident in your featherbrained plan."

"Maybe I will," Gallus retorted. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's haul our asses out of here."

Yona slipped off the broken bed, following the rest of her friends out of the hotel room. Ocellus gave a small smirk before transforming into Grandpa Gruff.

"You're a genius," Smolder grinned, rubbing her friend's currently bald head. "The rest of us should still hide near the castle, but at least Gallus can knock on the door undetected."

* * *

And undetected they were. Yona hid behind several of the bushes next to the castle, with Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar hidden beneath her shaggy fur as an extra precaution. Gallus flew to the door with the fake Grandpa Gruff by his side, feeling his heart beat faster than his wings.

"Gallus?" Twilight muttered, the castle door creaking open. "G-Grandpa Gruff? What are you two doing here? It's late."

"Gallus wanted to say goodbye to one of his _racist_ pony friends," Ocellus growled, tilting her bald head towards Twilight.

_"Her_ name is Starlight," Gallus glared at 'Grandpa Gruff.' "Hey Headmare Twilight, did Starlight bring up anything I told her?"

"Nope! Everything is confidential," Twilight grinned. "But she doesn't live here in the castle anymore, she moved in with her marefriend a few weeks ago. But I can give you her address, and you two can go there."

"Thank you!" Gallus grinned. "That means a lot to me."

"No worries," Twilight levitated a piece of paper and a feathered quill, writing the address on the former. "But don't be late to the train station!"

"Don't you think I know how to supervise one of my own kind?" Ocellus barked, stretching her wings. "C'mon Gallus, I ain't waiting all day for you."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, shutting the door. Ocellus and Gallus ran to the bush, shaking Yona.

"Guys, guys! Starlight Glimmer has her own house now, and we got the address!" Gallus grinned, shoving the paper beneath Yona's fur. "Unfortunately, that means you three will have to travel underneath Yona's gut for a bit longer. Safety first, right?"

_"Safety!"_ Smolder scoffed from under Yona. "This bitch smell like a wet dog."

"That's the spirit!" Gallus squawked. "C'mon! We're losing time!"

* * *

After another tedious journey, the Young Six finally reached the cute lavender house that Twilight redirected them to. Gallus told Yona to hide herself and the friends underneath her near the house. Ocellus transformed into Princess Twilight, before knocking on the door.

"Hey, I...Princess Twilight? Gallus?" Starlight whispered. "You got the letter I sent you! I'm so relieved, I didn't know if you were able to help."

Ocellus and Gallus briefly shared a puzzled glance.

"Yes, of course," Ocellus grinned. "I also brought Yona, she wanted help as well. Can we come in?"

"Of course!" Starlight grinned. "Where is she?"

"Leaning against the house, she's got a bad stomach ache," Gallus chuckled. "C'mon Yona, there's a bathroom in here."

_"...oh!_ Of course!" Yona stumbled forward, crawling into Starlight's house without blowing her cover. Gallus flew inside, and Ocellus closed the door and locked it.

"Starlight, please don't tell anyone. But we...got a little desperate after hearing that we'd be going home," Gallus frowned.

"What do you-" before Starlight could finish her question, Ocellus transformed back into her original form. Yona lifted her legs, releasing Smolder, Silverstream, and Sandbar from her fur.

_"Disgusting!" _Smolder hissed, coughing up a yakball.

"We're sorry, but we had no choice," Gallus frowned. "I thought you would've gotten Twilight to help like you told me."

"I did though, I left a letter on her door!" Starlight gasped. "I'm so sorry guys, she must be grieving from the loss of her school. It's not like her to ignore urgent letters, I swear."

Gallus stopped flying midair, his paws gently landing on Starlight's carpet as he took in everything. Twilight had read Starlight's letter about him and Griffonstone, and she ignored it?

"I knew not to trust that bitch," Gallus growled, sinking his talons into the carpet. "She kept listening to a dumb rulebook over her friends. Her _students."_

"I was hoping she would keep the six of you in her castle," Starlight pondered. "But plans have changed, and I won't let those guardians of yours tear your friendships apart. I can keep all of you here for a few days, and hopefully Twilight will figure something out by then."

Gallus rushed over, and hugged the pink unicorn. Sure, it was flea-brained of her to still rely on her former teacher for help, but Gallus figured that her help mattered more than anything else.

"If you don't mind, we're going to wash the yak stink off our bodies," Sandbar said. "Me and Silverstream can share the bath; try not to waste too much water."

"Could I bathe too?" Ocellus piped up.

"Totally, you can share the bath with me," Smolder smirked. "No homo, right?"

"N-No, none at all," Ocellus grinned.

"Yona would share bath with you, but Yona usually takes up entire in pony tub." Yona frowned, looking at Gallus. "Yona will sleep on the floor, not break anymore furniture."

"Don't worry," Starlight rested her hoof on Yona's shoulder. "I got a bunch of spare blankets in the closet for you to sleep on. And a few more for your friends."

Yona's green eyes brightened as she stretched her leg around Starlight's shoulder, hugging her. Gallus smiled as his closest friends walked into the bathroom to clean the scent off.

Starlight kicked open the two recliners, and opened the pullout bed underneath the center couch. Gallus called dibs on the pullout bed, stretching out his wings and curling up in the tiny white blanket provided.

"I'm really sorry about Twilight, she's been a wreck ever since Equestria went under fire all those months ago," Starlight whispered.

"Under_ fire?"_ Gallus asked.

"A figure of speech, obviously," Starlight rolled her eyes. "It was when the Storm King's minions arrived in Canterlot and turned all the Princesses into stone. When they couldn't catch Twilight, they chased her and her friends throughout different lands. From Klugetown to Mount Aris, until Tempest caught her."

"Mount Aris, that's where Silverstream lives," Gallus gasped.

"Yes, it was a terrible time. But it inspired Twilight to reach out to creatures like you," Starlight smiled. "It's because of the harrowing journey she went on that she created the School of Friendship."

"Yeah, and look what that did her," Gallus scowled, looking at the ceiling.

"I'll admit, things didn't turn out the way any of us pictured it," Starlight confessed. "But _think! _If Twilight had never opened the school, you wouldn't be here. And I'm going to make sure that means something. I _promise _you, I'm not giving up on you."

"Not even if all our guardians knock your door down?" Gallus looked at Starlight.

"Not even if they threaten to burn my house down," Starlight puffed her chest. "I don't know about the rest of your friends, but I've thought of a way to keep_ you_ from going back to Griffonstone."

"Really?" Gallus whispered. "What is it?"

"Well, if Twilight had paid any decent attention to the letter, she would've received a copy of _this,"_ Starlight used her magic to levitate a piece of paper towards him.

Gallus leaned towards the paper in the darkness, his night vision granting him the visibility of the adoption form printed. As soon as he read the words, a cold splash of realization poured over him.

_**"You're adopting me?"**_ Gallus asked.

"I'm trying to, yes," Starlight grinned. "I don't suppose that your family will have a problem with me and my marefriend doing so, right?"

"Oh, well...when I said they weren't here for me like I wanted them to, I meant that I haven't been in contact with them for months," Gallus admitted. "I don't even think they consider me a part of their family anymore. My father hated that I wouldn't steal food for our family, said I wasn't a true griffon. So, even if they wouldn't like you doing so, there's nothing they can do about it now."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," Starlight frowned. "That's why you were so adamant about adoption, you don't even _have_ them to come back to. Tell you what, when the papers are signed, you can…"

Gallus blinked, holding onto the silence between him and his former guidance counselor. Was she going to say it?

Just as Starlight opened her mouth, several harsh knocks echoed on the other side of the door. Gallus squeaked as he jumped off the pullout bed and hid underneath it.

Starlight glanced at the bathroom door, making sure it was shut, before walking towards the front door and opening it.

"The_ great _and _powerful_ marefriend is back!" Trixie shouted, only to be magically pulled inside the house. "Starry? What's wrong?"

"Well Trixie, we have a lot to talk about." Starlight admitted. "Remember the five creatures from outside Equestria, Twilight's new students? Well, the EEA shut down the school, and they're hiding in our house till everything blows over."

_"WHA-"_ Starlight slapped her hoof over Trixie's mouth. "And, I want to adopt one of them."

Trixie pulled away from her marefriend's hoof, raising an eyebrow at her.

"We can talk about this later," Starlight decided. "He's under the pullout bed. Gallus, it's safe to come out."

"Come out? This is the _safest_ place to do that, believe me," Trixie smirked, leaning against Starlight.

Gallus, oblivious to the joke, peaked his head out from underneath the pullout bed. It was a blue mare with a light blue mane, staring at the griffon.

"A griffon?" Trixie whispered. "And I'm guessing you're hiding an entire zoo in the bathroom, right?"

"You could say that," Starlight said. On cue, the bathroom door opened, and Yona stepped out. Her fur was soaking from top to bottom.

"Good grief," Trixie rolled her eyes. "What have you gotten us into this time?"


End file.
